With a Labour government, the NHS is on the road to recovery. Last year, Lord Darzi provided the diagnosis: the NHS is in a critical condition, but its vital signs are strong. We have restored our NHS before – and we will do so again.
That’s why Labour has hit the ground running since coming into government, cutting red tape, changing the system and bringing in record investment – all to help get the NHS back on its feet.
In the last year, we’ve:
- Delivered nearly 5 million extra NHS appointments
- Recruited 2,000 new GPs on the frontline
- Taken a quarter of a million off waiting lists
- Rolled out 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments
- Frozen prescription charges to keep them under a tenner
Slowly, the tide is turning for our NHS. But we also know that without fundamental change, our NHS will not be sustainable for the future. Labour won’t allow that to happen – which is why our 10 Year Health Plan will propel our NHS into a modern era. You can find out more about this Plan – and other recent policy announcements below. Together, we’re delivering our Plan for Change to fix our NHS and make it fit for the future.
Wes Streeting MP
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
10 Year Health Plan
Labour has launched a 10 Year Health Plan, delivering three big shifts in how the NHS works: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
How Labour is delivering:
- A new Neighbourhood Health Service will see access to a full range of healthcare services on people’s doorsteps in every community
- The NHS will be brought into the digital age, with a transformed NHS App where patients can easily manage their healthcare online
- Patients will be reached earlier, to catch illness before it spreads and prevent it in the first place by making the healthy choice, the easy choice
- The Plan will also tackle some of the enduring health inequalities plaguing our country, so that those in working class communities are no longer served.
Best Start in Life
Labour believes that children growing up in our country deserve the best start in life – nothing less. That’s why as pupils head back to school this month, Labour is launching the new Best Start brand. From family hubs to free breakfast clubs and 30 hours of government funded childcare for children over nine months old, these services are a lifeline for working families.
What does this mean?
Labour’s Best Start in Life offer will ease pressure on families, helping parents get back to work, and delivering a system that gives every child the best start in life.
How Labour is delivering:
- Working parents are set to save up to £7,500 a year through 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week
- Labour is rolling out free breakfast clubs across the country, saving parents up to £450 a year
- Building on the proud legacy of Sure Start, up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs will be created by the end of 2028
- Access to free school meals is being expanded to half a million more children
- Labour is investing a further £600 million to extend the Best Start Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for another three years
We know that fourteen years of Tory government has been tough on family finances. Labour is doing things differently, putting more money in working people’s pockets and creating a proper foundation of support that works all year round.
Baby Food Guidelines
Labour has announced new guidelines for baby food manufacturers, aimed at reducing salt and sugar levels.
What does this mean?
Parents and carers across England will be able to shop for healthier foods, and clearer labelling will help parents make informed choices that work around their busy lives.
Key talking points:
- Labour is on the side of parents and children, with businesses facing new guidelines to reduce salt and sugar in baby foods
- Parents will be empowered to make better, informed choices without having to sift through lots of products
- These measures will also help tackle childhood obesity so that babies are given the best start in life